Kim, described as 'tragically young', died after her legs were amputated following unsuccessful 19-hour surgery to remove a blood clot in a medical case of "extraordinary complexity" and rarity, an inquest has heard.

Miss Elrick, who was a smoker, had had a mini stroke during the year before her death on December 30, 2017. She had also suffered deep vein thrombosis during her last pregnancy.

Kim Elrick collapsed while shopping for a dress for her daughter

Following her collapse while shopping on December 16, 2017, Miss Elrick told doctors she was experiencing back pain and numbness in her legs.

Doctors at Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital in Grimsby thought this could be cauda equina syndrome, a condition which occurs when the bundle of nerves below the end of the spinal cord is damaged.

As a result, she was transferred by ambulance to Hull Royal Infirmary for a specialist MRI scan of her spine.

An inquest into her death at Hull Coroners Court on Friday heard the results of the test showed there were no problems with Miss Elrick's back, and further scans and tests by the neurology department in Hull showed that Miss Elrick had no neurological issues.

Kim Elrick was a mum-of-three

She was transferred back to the hospital near her Grimsby home for further monitoring when she said her legs were feeling better and there were no signs of circulation and heart issues.

But just days later doctors found a blood clot had travelled from her heart to her legs, and she was transferred back to Hull Royal, Hull Live reported.

She was given medication to thin her blood to try to remove the clot, and when this was unsuccessful she underwent 19 gruelling hours of surgery on Christmas Day, 2017, to try and remove the clot. During this operation miss Elrick suffered two cardiac arrests.

But despite staff's best efforts, Miss Elrick's health continued to deteriorate after the operation. As her organs began to fail, doctors took the decision to amputate her legs in an effort to save her life.

Miss Elrick continued to deteriorate and on December 30, 2017, doctors and her family made the difficult decision to switch off her life-support machine.

"The last words she spoke to us with were that she was going into theatre at 9am and she said ‘Speak to you soon,’" her father, Robert Elrick, told Grimsby Live after her death. "That was the last thing we heard from her.

"She spent 18 hours in surgery until 3am the following morning. But she never regained consciousness and was in a coma until she died.

“She was a bubbly person and went out of her way to make other people happy. She loved her kids and she loved music.”

He praised the efforts of the medical staff in Hull and said they went "above and beyond" in trying to care for Miss Elrick. "This was a very enigmatic case of great complexity, which was very unfortunate and most unusual," said Professor Marks.

"Every possible angle was explored by the doctors involved, who went above and beyond what was expected in their treatment of Kim.

"Their efforts were heroic and all measures were taken to diagnose problems that were very complex, and the doctors involved did their best to collaborate throughout.

"I conclude that Kim died as a result of natural causes and I accept the medical evidence from the pathologist that Kim died from multiple organ failure as a result of lower limb ischemia due to an aortic thromboembolism.

"I would like to extend my deepest condolences to Kim's family and her children."

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